The Frugal Family: Tis' the season to start thinking about yard sales

In several of my columns, you quickly learn that I believe in living simply. If you live in a lot of “stuff” you typically do not know what you have which leads many times to overbuying.

Stephanie Eaton Harvie

In several of my columns, you quickly learn that I believe in living simply. If you live in a lot of "stuff" you typically do not know what you have which leads many times to overbuying.

As we eagerly anticipate spring's arrival, I truly look forward to the upcoming yard sale season. There are several reasons that I love yard sales. I love shopping at yard sales because I can purchase items at discount prices, but I also love having yard sales at my home because it also helps me clear my clutter.

I typically participate in the Fort Leavenworth Post-Wide Yard Sale twice a year. I typically sell the majority of my items. I typically start out with a driveway full of things and I am left with one or two items. The reason I have a lot of success at yard sales is because the main reason for having a yard sale is to purge. If I make a few bucks, that is just a perk. However, my top priority is to clean out the clutter. I sell most of my items for just a few dollars each.

I would encourage you to have a yard sale. It is a great way to clear out clutter and help you know what you have.If you are not sure what to sell at a yard sale, you need to follow one general rule. If you have not used the item in a year you should get rid of it. I find Craigslist is a great place to advertise your yard sale, because the cost to advertise is free. The Times and Chronicle Shopper also advertise garage packages at low rates.However, I would also encourage you to not be greedy. Do not

overprice your items and make the main goal of your sale to purge your home. I promise you that the purging experience can be extremely freeing.

Finally, there are several things that you can do with items you do not sell at your yard sales. One thing is list the items on online yard sale sites and see if you can sell the items there. However, I typically just take the items to a charitable organization immediately so that I can insure the clutter does not reenter my home.

Do have frugal tips? E-mail them to localnews2005@yahoo.com.

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